FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS & PHUKET DIVE CENTER
RECOMMENDATIONS/RULES

FOREWORD

Our goal is to satisfy our guest needs beyond the actual service of water sports and dive instructions.

We are looking forward to welcoming you soon to our Mandarin Queen Fleet.

FILE OVERVIEW

1. Check-In / Check-Out Procedures / Pick Ups / Boats / No Show / Trip Cancellation / Payments
2. General FAQ’s & safety recommendations
3. Diving FAQ’s, rules & safety recommendations
4. NON-Diver FAQs & safety recommendations
5. Tips
6. Ecological awareness
7. Free VIP membership

1. CHECK IN & CHECK OUT

All daytrips heading out with Phuket Dive Center Fleet need to check-in at Chalong Pier, latest 8:00 am the day of trip departure, as the trip starts very early morning.
The trip returns to Chalong Pier around 4:30 - 5:00 pm.

Day trips on Mandarin Queen Fleet, we offer free pickups from Layan, Surin, Bangtao, Kamala, Nakalay, Tritrang, Kalim, Patong, Karon, Kata, and Chalong, depending

on where you stay between 6:30 am, and 7:45 am. Please let us know in which hotel you

are visiting and forward us their reception telephone number and room number.

Do not forget to let us know 1-2 days in advance where to pick you up!

Pick up times Phuket Island:

Pick up Time

6:30 am. Layan

6:40 am. Surin

6:45 am. Bang Tao (Laguna)

7:00 am. Kamala, Nakalay, Tritrang & Kalim

7:15 am. Patong

7:35 am. Karon

7:40 am. Kata

7:45 am. Chalong

Our complimentary round transfer to Phuket is only included on departure and arrival days of the Day trip and to the specific times shown.

Phuket Dive Center Boat Fleet complies with all Thai Safety Standards regulated by the Coast Guard.

That includes:

Automatic inflatable life rafts, life jackets (adults/minors), lifebelt, radio communications, navigation systems, dinghy, fire extinguishers, medic first aid box, oxygen, and medically trained crew.

Cigarettes cannot be purchased on any Mandarin Queen Fleet. Smoking is forbidden in the dive deck and the saloon. Please don't through any cigarette butts into the ocean.

You can recharge your electronic devices with the 220 vault plugs on the boats. Please be advised that we will not be held liable for any damage occurred to your electronic device.

If you don't show up on your booked trip, we will not refund any payment. If you get ill or you get other health issues before the tour, we will not refund any amount. We will try to accommodate you on the next trip if space is available and your time allows without any surcharge. If this is not possible, no refund will be given.

Please note that the number of dives we list in any package is the best estimate based on normal circumstances, not a guarantee. Circumstances may arise during your dive trip (illness or personal choice), where the total number of dives is less than the amount we estimate. There will be no partial refunds in these circumstances.

If you can't even participate in a single dive during any trip booked because of sudden illness, we will change your booking to a non – diver package. Please understand you have taken up space on the boat, and we can't refund the full price.

If you cancel your trip/diving course less than a month before the trip departure/course start, we will not refund your deposit payment.

If you cancel more than a month before the trip departure/course starts, we will refund your deposit payment deducting bank transfer costs and taxes from your pre-payment.

If you cancel your trip 48 hours before the trip departure, no refund will be given.

We accept only Thai Baht and Credit Cards; Visa and Master card only, no American Express. A 3% surcharge applies to all card payments.

The payment of the trip is due before the trip departure.

There are many ways to get to Phuket; the fastest and easiest way is via Phuket International Airport.

From Bangkok: By plane to Phuket, or by night bus. Please consider our advice (marked in red).

From Koh Tao, Phangan and Samui: By plane from Samui to Phuket airport or by ferry from all three islands mentioned to Surrathani or Chumpon and then by public bus or minibus/taxi to Phuket.

From Phi Phi Islands, Koh Lanta and Krabi/Ao Nang: By ferry from Koh Lanta to Phi Phi and the same ferry brings you to Phuket Harbor.

2.GENERAL FAQ’S & SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS

There are many ways to get to Phuket; the fastest and easiest way is via Phuket International Airport.

From Bangkok: By plane to Phuket, or by night bus. Please consider our advice (marked in red).

From Koh Tao, Phangan and Samui: By plane from Samui to Phuket airport or by ferry from all three islands mentioned to Surrathani or Chumpon and then by public bus or minibus/taxi to Phuket.

From Phi Phi Islands, Koh Lanta and Krabi/Ao Nang: By ferry from Koh Lanta to Phi Phi and the same ferry brings you to Phuket Harbor.

We recommend you to consider our advice as this reflects most of the problems our divers have been confronted during their journey to Phuket as well as to other destinations in Thailand.

Every tour agent in Thailand will be able to assist you with your travel plans but be advised that not all information you will receive will be the ideal for your travel plans as the tour agent's or operators are earning a commission on you and will thereof recommend the services they make most of you.

They will most likely never see you again, so many of them couldn't care less!

Taxi drivers are likely to charge you are a higher rate than usual (no taxi meter outside Bangkok)

If you travel by a night bus from Bangkok, ONLY use the busses that leave from the official Southern Bus Terminal. http://www.transitbangkok.com

Keep all your expensive objects at all times with you and not in the luggage department!

Phuket Dive Center is more than happy to assist you with your travel plans upfront rather than helping you later sort out problems that might have occurred during your journey.

Phuket has a wide variety of cheap and high-class accommodation. Most accommodation rates range between 300 – 30,000 Thai Baht. The devil is in the details.

If you are not traveling with a tour operator, it is strongly recommended to book your stay in advance during the high season. It can be challenging and impossible to find an excellent priced valued room/bungalow, and you might not get what you are looking for, ending up paying more than you were expecting.

Khao Lak has plenty of pharmacies and several doctors (small clinics), on duty to treat smaller injuries or illnesses. 24 hours evacuation by ICU is available and the distance to the nearest hospitalist 5-10 km.

Phuket Town offers outstanding medical care in state of the art international hospitals. Several decompression chambers are available in Phuket.

There have been NO reports of malaria or dengue in Phuket but the use of insect repellent is recommended.

Thai food is among the best around the world and you can eat at any restaurant, street vendor or market without worries in and around Phuket. If you are allergic to peanuts be very cautious as many meals or snacks content peanuts.

There are plenty of banks and cash dispensers in Phuket.

Phuket has grown to a modern tourist holiday destination in the past 20 years. There are plenty of excellent Thai and Western restaurants in town, though some restaurants have already implemented western prices too.

Just a short walk out of the Hotel, you will find many local Thai restaurants with outstanding delicious cuisine and acceptable prices.

Many supermarkets are open 24/7, such as the 7 Eleven.

To reduce the impact of tourism development in Phuket and the rest of the country, here are some recommendations.

  • Don’t buy any souvenirs out of real animals such as coral/fish/shells, butterflies, bugs, scorpions, spiders, etc. Possession of them might be illicit in Thailand and your home country.
  • Don’t collect shells or other creatures from the beach.
  • Don’t eat or buy any shark product. If you see some, please report to our dive center.
  • Don’t throw any item into the ocean or landscape.
  • Please don’t waste water or electricity during your stay in the Hotel or on our boats.
  • Please follow the same rules on land as underwater, don’t leave anything behind, just bubbles ;-)

3. DIVING FAQ’S & SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS

We strongly believe that continuing education is the key to become a safe and ecological aware diver. We teach diving by the most renowned dive association in the world, PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors).

To dive from our boats and participate on all our dive trips, you need at least an Open Water certificate from any dive association worldwide. Please bring your logbook with you so we can arrange the best diving group based on your experience.

If you haven’t dived for more than a year and you have less than 50 dives, you are required to do a Scuba Review Course. This can be done the same day as your diving trip with experience Instructor.

You can also skip this step by enrolling in our continuing education programs.

Please let us know your dive experience upfront so we can assist you with your training needs.

We recommend you to stop diving at least 24 hours before you board any commercial airliner.

The Dive Site near Phuket Islands is a remote dive location where currents can sometimes be overpowering. All dives will be guided in small groups. Our professional and experienced dive staff knows the dive sites, know where rare creatures are hiding, and are familiar with the procedures to regroup with our boats.

If you are Open Water certified, you are allowed to participate in all our dives. As a matter of fact, countless Open Water certified divers have 100 or even 1000 logged dives.

 

You need to know where your limits are, and nobody is forcing you to participate in a dive after the dive guide/instructor has done the briefing and explained the dive site and the possible hazards involved there.

 

If you got doubts or are not feeling alright, maybe it is better to skip the dive. Talk with our staff and enroll in our continuing education programs to become a more experienced and confident diver.

    • Make sure that you drink enough fluids during the day to compensate for the loss of water.
    • Remember, dehydration is the most common source of “Decompression Illness” and ill-being.
    • All diving is guided on our boats by a certified Divemaster or instructor with a maximum of 4-5 divers per guide.
    • If you miss the dive briefing, you will not be allowed to join the dive.
    • You are required to do a buddy check before every single dive.
    • The maximum depth for recreational diving is 30 meters on all Mandarin Queen Fleets.
    • No alcohol is permitted before or between dives. Your first beer is your last dive. The same rule applies for snorkelers.
    • A dive computer is not mandatory but highly recommended for your safety. You can rent a dive computer booked in advance.
    • Maximum dive time is 60 minutes or 50 bar rest pressure in your tank at the surface except sunset and night dives.
    • Stay close to your buddy and group.
    • A 3 min @ 5 meters safety stop is required before surfacing to the surface
    • Inflate your buoyancy compensator at the surface and pay attention to the guide or instructor during the pick up by the diving vessel.
    • If your air consumption is high, we strongly recommend that you rent a 15-liter tank that will allow you to stay longer underwater.
    • If a diver gets lost during a dive, we comply with the international rule of not searching for more than a minute and ascend to regroup on the surface with the missing diver. If a dive can’t be continued after finding the missing diver, there will be no refund for the dive. If you get separated from your dive group, search for no longer than a minute and ascend to the surface. Watch out for boat traffic before surfacing. At the surface, inflate your buoyancy compensator and call the next boat close to you for assistance.
    • If a dive site has to be changed due to lousy weather or safety issue, no refund will be given
    • If you are using a digital camera underwater, you need to comply with the “Safe Diving” and the “Ecological Awareness” rules of the diving center our guides/instructors will prohibit the use of the camera or ban you from diving! No refund will be given!
    • Any piece of equipment that you rent has to be returned to the diving center. If you lose parts of the stuff, we will need to charge you for the missing piece of gear.
    • If you rent a digital underwater camera and a dive computer and you flood it, you will be charged for the broken piece of equipment.
    • You are required to listen to the dive guides/instructors. The dive guides/instructors on the boat can prohibit participation on dives at their discretion based on lack of respect for marine park rules and regulations, lack of respect – or “handling” of any marine life, alcohol consumption between dives or not abiding by international safe diving rules. In this case, we will not refund you for the missed dives.

If you have no insurance coverage at all (rare case) and you have an accident on the boat or on the way to the pier, insurance will cover up to 500,000 Thai Baht for any treatment.

 

If you suffer from any decompression illness, such as decompression sickness, our dive center insurance will usually cover a maximum of 500,000 Thai Baht. In case the bill for decompression treatment exceeds the 500 000 Thai Baht (it often does), your private insurance or yourself need to cover treatment costs.

4. NON DIVER FAQS & SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS

If you are a non-diver/snorkeler, we would love to introduce you to SCUBA diving so you can become a member of our worldwide diving family. Typically, you feel a bit frightened or insecure, but let our professional PADI instructors teach you the ABC’s of diving and kidnap you to a comfortable shallow try dive around the beautiful reefs of the Racha Noi – Racha Yai. The PADI Discover Scuba Diving program is specially developed to introduce diving to non-divers or snorkelers.

The ocean is full of life, and most creatures, whether small or large, don’t care about you at all. It is a universal rule to divers not to touch anything underwater to avoid injury or harm marine life.

 

The same rule applies to snorkelers, and if you don’t disturb or threaten any creature in the water, it is most likely that the beast will mind its business and allow you to watch it.

As a snorkeler, you are a bit more likely to suffer from the surface conditions than a diver. That’s why we separate you from the dive site and bring you to a secluded area where surface conditions are less stressful for you.

The physical effect of diffusion in the water absorbs the color spectrum of the light. In deeper water, corals and fish appear blue or greenish.

Yes, you will always be accompanied by a snorkel guide, and a boat will be close to you in case you get tired of snorkeling.

We strongly recommend you to carry a life jacket in the water even if you are a good swimmer.

Yes, you can. Snorkeling is an excellent fun for kids, and they will have an unforgettable time around the Islands.

5. OTHER

Please use sun lotion and keep well hydrated during your trip to avoid sunburn or body heat-related problems.

If you are not sure that you get seasick, please let us know before boarding any of our boats so we can offer you a tablet to avoid seasickness.

 

Please bring with you, personal clothing, including a light jacket or sweater, a towel and toiletries, sun lotion, prescription medicines, logbook, certification card, travel and dive insurance details, money to pay for extras such as beers.

Please let our office and dive staff know if you are allergic to any food, especially peanuts, seafood, or MSG (Monosodium Glutamate/E621). We also serve vegetarian food if request.

 

Tipping the boat crew or your dive guide/instructor is totally up to you. You will experience that many of the services towards you is over the usual, especially from our Thai boat crews. Their high motivation towards you depends on small tips that generate them some extra income.

 

If you have diabetes or you have any other possible life-threatening illness, please triple check you are taking your medication on board.

We work in the ocean, so promoting responsible diving practices is something we feel strongly about.

 

Phuket Dive Center participates in numerous ecological marine initiatives supporting the environment above and below the waves.

 

We abstain from feeding any marine creature.

 

No spearfishing or fishing in the marine parks

 

Please be thrifty in the use of water and electricity on the boats.

 

Don’t throw anything in the water.

The membership is for free and benefits you as a loyal friend of Phuket Dive Center, among other things in the future, with some discounts.

• Receive a 5% discount for any diving trip on your next holidays

• Receive a 5% discount on any dive course on your upcoming holidays

• Bring another diver with you, and he/she automatically receives a 5% discount on dive trips and courses

• Receive a 15% discount on any dive equipment purchase you buy from the moment you enroll in the free VIP membership

• Lifetime membership

[]
1 Step 1
QUICK BOOKING
Equipment Rental
keyboard_arrow_leftPrevious
Nextkeyboard_arrow_right
FormCraft - WordPress form builder

TOP